Apparatus used in the assembly of smoking articles, such as filter cigarettes, includes a filter attachment unit for attaching a filter and a tobacco rod to each other to form a filter cigarette. A double length filter rod may be aligned with two tobacco rods, one at either end of the filter rod, and the three rods are wrapped with a patch of wrapping material known as a ‘tipping paper’ to join them together. The centrally positioned double length filter rod is then cut into two to form two filter cigarettes. The patch is attached to the filter and tobacco rod using adhesive applied to sections of a tensioned web of tipping paper using an adhesive transfer system as it moves through the apparatus, prior to cutting the web into patches. Depending on the construction of the smoking articles that are to be manufactured, adhesive often needs to be applied to discrete regions of the tipping paper surface and in a predetermined pattern.